I am honored to have received a Fulbright Academic and Professional Excellence fellowship to conduct this research. I hope that friends, family and colleagues are following the adventure. And some of you have actually joined me in India!

From Operating Engineer Holly Brown

“Nothing prepared me for what I would see in India. The amount of people is mind blowing. It seems like anything goes when in it comes to the road in Delhi. You have your normal cars and busses, but then you have tuktuks, rickshaws, people pushing carts, animals pulling carts, bikes, motorcycles, scooters, cows walking down the road, and of course, all the people. Everyone inches along in an ebb and flow like no other place. Sometimes I could reach out and touch the car beside me because it was only inches from us. There are dogs all over. I have seen four people at a time on motorcycles and scooters. There are horses, camels, mules, and bulls pulling carts. It is very loud here, with horns honking and people talking.

There is a lot of social injustice, I am just starting to understand the caste system. There are so many poor people here doing everything to survive with little to nothing, and people are sleeping on the street. They make shelter anywhere they can from traps, to huts, etc. There is not enough housing, food, or jobs to go around. Animals look so thin you can see their bones. I have seen people washing off in their underwear and using the bathrooms outside because you sometimes have to pay for those facilities. They are a resourceful people and come up with ways to make things from what is available to them. There are all walks of life here, from people walking around bare foot, to people in suits with high priced cars. They are not in a hurry and everyone is so nice. The women’s clothing is so bright and beautiful. We have seen amazing mosques and temples. There are so many unfinished buildings. They do have equipment here but it seems like most of the work is done by hand and building is slow. I have not heard anyone complain or curse. They are a resilient and amazing people.”

Hard to really capture the traffic

Sunrise through smog

Holly, accompanied by Dee and Kelly, took a personal visit to the Ganges.